We don’t believe in the myth of the ‘brown thumb’ at Fifth Season Gardening. Successfully growing plants often rests on knowing the right questions to ask. In this post, we’ll explore the importance of understanding window orientation and the effect on light levels. When looking for a new house plant it is vitally important to consider your available light levels before selecting a particular variety; if a plant is not put into the light circumstance for which it is adapted, it is often doomed.
Knowing the orientation of your windows is the best way to determine whether you get direct sun only in the morning or the afternoon- or whether you’re lucky enough to have bright direct sun all day. After considering the direction, is there anything blocking the outside of your window? Would your window get bright sun in the afternoon if it weren’t blocked by a large tree?
Assuming that, generally speaking, we’d rather have more light to work with than less, here are rough guidelines for the cardinal directions in a best to worst direction for house plants:
- South facing windows are the best with bright sun all day, good for any plants with variegation or trees like citrus and banana. If a plant needs medium light, just locate it to the side (perfect for orchids) or a few feet away from the window.
- West windows get a long period of direct sun, but usually miss the hottest most intense part of the day, which can damage some plants with medium light requirements. Stromanthe thrive in this environment.
- East windows are perfect for most low to medium light requirements that smaller, table-top plants prefer. The sun is much less intense in this orientation.
- North windows limit wise choices to a small selection of house plants. In general, flowering plants, like african violets or orchids struggle to survive in any north facing window. Also, most tall plants require higher light levels, but there are a couple of exceptions, such as Dracena ‘Janet Craig’ compacta.
Consider these general tips in regards to houseplants and light levels:
- Typically plants with variegation, or color in the leaves, require more direct sun than plants with plain green leaves.
- Plants that require less light or are located in lower light, consume less water.
- Plants in bright, direct light need to be watered more frequently and typically consume more per watering.
- Generally speaking, plants that flower more prolifically typically require lots of bright, if not direct light. If you want to grow a plant that produces fruit, like a citrus tree, you’ll need a lot of direct sunlight.
- Plants should be acclimated from one light situation to another gradually to avoid stress, damage, and/or disease.
- If leaves are succulent and oversized or the plant is ‘stretching’, the plant probably needs more light. Whereas, if leaves are browning and falling off the plant may be getting too much light.
by Jason Ellis
Mary bosher says
I have a mother-in-law plant which side of the home should I put him at
ashley says
You can pretty much put it anywhere, as they can thrive in almost any light. The big thing to look out for is overwatering, so make sure to let the top inch of soil dry out between waterings.
Megan says
I have a spider plant that did super well at my mother in laws and now at my house it is browsing and losing all of its leaves. I water with boiled and cooled water and had it in a south facing window. Please help me save this plant!
ashley says
Your spider plant sounds like it is getting too much light, if it is getting full southern exposure and is turning brown. Try a shadier spot, and make sure it is not drying out. Good Luck!
Kathleen says
I have a peace lily in a NE facing window, the leaves are turning brown. I looked that up and apparently, it means it’s getting too much light? That seems impossible given how dark the room is all the time. It is right next to the window, so maybe that is part? Help!
ashley says
If your plant is right next to the window, cold winter drafts could definitely be making the leaves turn brown. These tropical plants do like warm temps, so you might try moving it away from the window during cold months.
Grace Heike says
I have a new Flamingo plant with lots of “flowers”
I have searched and found it is a low light plant, can I put it in a north window ? Lots of light comes in as I live in Tucson, AZ.
I don’t want to loose the plant as it was a gift. Please let me know what you think.
Thank you.
ashley says
Hi Grace,
Flamingo flower plants (aka anthuriums) generally like a decent amount of light (especially for blooming) but NOT direct sunlight. A northern exposure could be perfect, as long as the plant isn’t right in the window receiving direct sunlight. Hope the helps!
Sydney says
I have a NE facing window in my room where I keep most of my plants. I just got a pilea peperomioides and a monstera deliciosa and have them about 2-3 feet away from the window… will they be ok here? I know that northern exposure is low light but I think since it is NE they should be ok. I also have a golden pothos, a scindapsus pictus, and a lemon lime philodendron on a shelf about 5 feet back from this same window, which I consider fairly low light (although I could read a book here almost all day), and they seem to be doing fine, I just water them a bit less often.
ashley says
Hi Sydney,
It seems like your plants should do ok where you put them – getting decent, indirect light. The best thing to do is just watch them closely the first few weeks to check for signs of distress from either too much light/heat or too little light, and move the plants if necessary.
Jeff says
Thank You
This article has educated me on where in my home is best for plants which require specific light conditions, and this is very important since I am just starting to do indoor gardening to go with my outdoor gardening.
Jeff
ashley says
Glad you found the article useful, Jeff – very best of luck with your new indoor gardening endeavors!!!
Sabrina says
Hi!
I have a money tree. I know it is supposed to be near a south facing window. Do I have to open my curtains as well? They are semi sheer. I ask because my plants leaves are turning brown and wilting. Thanks!
ashley says
Browning and wilting sounds like it could be not enough water. Maybe in conjunction with too much light. Are the leaves browning in a crispy kind of way or a turning to mush kind of way? Crisping would indicate not enough water, whereas yellowing and then mushing would indicate too much water.
frances says
My peace lilly literally went from green leaves to a few turning yellow overnight. I removed it from my NW facing window bc it gets a lot of light and I was worried it was too intense. I don’t think water is an issue b/c I haven’t been overwatering. I moved it to my desk which is about a foot away from the window and has more shade. this is all so overwhelming bc my windows are SE, SW and NW and everything i read is specific to N, S, E, W. Im super new to the plant world. not sure what to do. thank you in advance and glad I found this article.
ut i’m being pt. I’m confused about lighting for my peace lily. I have 3 different facing windows:
ashley says
Hi Frances, yellowing leaves on a peace lily can be from a few causes. If the leaves turning yellow are at the bottom of the plant, this is totally expected, as that’s how peace lilies grow – new green foliage emerging in the top/from the middle of the plant, and older leaves dying off at the bottom. Simply cut off the dying leaves at the bottom as they yellow out. If the leaves are not at the bottom of the plant, your plant could be getting too much light. Peace lilies don’t like too much light, especially direct light, so pulling it out of the window is a good move on your part. You may want to see how it does for awhile in its new spot away from direct light. Overwatering can also cause yellowing, as you mention. Water your peace lily when the leaves just begin to sag (not total wilting, just a bit thirsty-looking). It can be frustrating trying to determine the cause of plant problems, we know. I’d try changing one condition at a time and waiting a bit to see the effect, and then try another action if the first one didn’t work, so you can try to narrow down the issue and solve it.
Ana says
Help! I have two calatheas and a maranta “lemon lime.” I invested in a humidifier, so I know they have the right humidity. I’m just concerned about my west facing living room window. Would it be ok if it’s covered with a sheer curtain? They’re against a wall facing north. I’m just concerned it’ll be too much light for it and don’t want them to lose their color or crisp even more!
ashley says
The best thing to do is to carefully monitor your plants to make sure they don’t get sunburned in that spot. These plants like bright, indirect light, so they don’t want to be directly in the path of that afternoon western sun. If you move them back from getting direct light you should be fine. With a sheer panel, it’s hard to know how much light would be blocked, but you could try it and monitor closely the results. Cheers!
Duncan says
There is alot of info about straight North, East, South and West facing, but info on alternatives such as NE SE etc is virtually non existent.
I have a SE facing window with Chamaedorea elegans, Cactus Euphorbia and fishtail fern.
Will these plants do well in this orientation? Thanks
ashley says
Hi Duncan,
A southeast exposure should be good for the Chamaedorea elegans, as morning light, but not a lot of direct light, is its preferred growing condition. This can also be a good orientation for the Fishtail Fern, as it can tolerate lower light than a lot of indoor plants. I think you may need some more light for your Cactus Euphorbia, depending on how much light you get over the course of a day. I’d just watch the plants carefully to see how they respond to their location, and move if necessary. Hope this helps!
Caitlin says
Hi,
Thanks for the tips. My Monstera plant is currently in an east facing window , up against the window. Do you think I should move it a few feet back from the window or leave it where it is? It’s only been there about 2 days now.
Prior to that, it was sitting between the windows and doing well but I noticed the new leaf was stretching toward the sunnier side. Not quite sure what the best idea here is .
ashley says
You can leave it in the window and see if it starts to look scorched after a couple of weeks (and if not, leave it in its new home), or you can put it back where it was and just rotate your plant every so often so that the growth occurs evenly around the plant. Plants will always grow toward the light, so you may need to rotate it occasionally even in its new spot.
Alyssa says
Hi! My watermelon peperomia that I purchased two weeks ago just lost 4 leaves in the last day. Yesterday there was no bad sign besides the loss of 1, and today I looked and 3 wilted. All smaller/newer leaves. The plant is on a shelf about 5 feet from a west facing window with a couple of hours of afternoon sunlight. About 3 feet from humidifier. I’ve watered it only once since bringing it home. I read that the wilted leaves are a sign of root rot. Should I move it to the south facing window with some of my other plants just to be safe? Or is this, in fact, a sign of root rot? In which case, is it possible I purchased it having already been overwatered?
ashley says
Hi Alyssa, Does your pot have drainage?
Fiona says
Hi. My monstera deliosa has a three new leaves that had not unfurled for a couple months. I noticed a root sticking out of the bottom of the pot and repotted with new soil (half orhid mix and half potting soil for houseplants). The reason I repotted with new soil was because of root rot. I purchased the plant a while ago from a grocery store. It was root bound and a lot of root rot. The leaves has unfurl just a little since repotting about 2 weeks ago. Now some of the younger leaves are yellow and droppy. The large dark green leaves are not flat and curling a bit. Couple of the medium size leaves are lighter green and shows signs of yellowing. I had not water the plant since repotting, the soil seem moist but not soggy. The plant is currently situated in the brightest room with a NW window but the plant is not near the window. Prior to moving to its current location, it was sitting in my kitchen across from a East facing window. Would like to know what is it I am doing wrong and how to remedy. Thank you!
David says
Okay, my wife insists on placing plants directly in front of the patio door since it’s the only spot, she says, that gets the best sun. I explained to her that if she places them just off to the side, away from the foot traffic, the plants will do just fine since the sun still permeates the area. Help me here. I’ve asked her to buy plants for the house not a house for the plants. ugh!
ashley says
Ha Ha! Thanks for inviting us into the middle of your friendly family discussion 😉 Depending on the plant, you and your wife could both be right (not the answer you were hoping for, I bet). Some plants really do need direct sunlight, but most houseplants can thrive in indirect, bright light. If your plants are in the way of foot traffic, the easiest solution is to move them a bit off to the side and see how the plants tolerate slightly less light. Most plants won’t suffer from a slight change in light conditions, although you might have to turn your plants every few weeks to combat the effects of heliotropism (growing toward the sun). Good luck, and may your home remain forever harmonious and lush!
Whitney says
Hey Ashley,
I have 1 large South facing window and 2 smaller East facing windows. They are both surrounded by an 8ft wide wraparound porch on the outside. How does this affect my lighting? The windows still seem bright but the whole porch is shaded. It’s very confusing trying to figure out which plants will work for these windows. Thank you!
ashley says
Hi Whitney,
Yes, this is not a simple, straightforward issue! Sounds like you may have medium-to-bright indirect light in the situation you describe. The best way to approach this, I think, is as an experiment, trying different plants there and seeing what does best. I would probably not put plants that really do need a ton of light there, since the porch will block some light for sure, but it doesn’t sound like a low-light situation either, so there should be a bunch of plants that could do well there. Hope that helps at least a bit!